Pouring French Champagne Down The Drain

When the French refused to back our play in Iraq, many patriotic Americans went to their cupboards and took down that bottle of French bubbly they were saving to celebrate a special occasion and poured it out on the ground to show their displeasure. Now, the French are ordering their champagne growers to destroy even more of the stuff.

This has been an exceptional year for the region and its three prized varieties of champagne grapes. French law sets 13 tons per hectare (about 2.5 acres) as the maximum allowed yield to keep quality high, yet this year's crop is nearer 20 tons per hectare with excellent quality. So what does the French government do? Celebrate the chance to put a real crimp in the competition? Let it's farmers enjoy a windfall? Zut alors! No. They upped the cap to 14 tons and the rest will rot or be turned into industrial alcohol. What a country!

News